In 2018, my husband got an opportunity to work in Switzerland for four months. His company set him up in an apartment in a beautiful town called Horgen near Zurich. We were lucky that the assignment was during the summer months because as soon as the kids started summer vacation, we all went to spend two months in Switzerland. An opportunity of a lifetime! I was going to Switzerland with the expectation of the saying that “Switzerland is heaven on earth” and I was not disappointed. Switzerland truly is a small piece of heaven on earth. It’s abundance in natural beauty, the green mountains, beautiful lakes and clean fresh air were spectacular! But the Swiss have maintained their beautiful country by making sure there is always cleanliness and preservation of natural beauty. I was so impressed by the Swiss culture.

Sharing just a few snaps of our trip… the pictures don’t do any justice. Switzerland has beauty that needs to be experienced. The cool breeze ruffling through your hair, the scent of clean mountain air mixed with grass, the tinkling of the bells of the cows as they graze. All your senses combine to give you an amazing experience. Sigh! Want to go back!!! 🥰

I can go on and on about how gorgeous Switzerland is and our experience there but I’ll save that for another blog post. While we were in this beautiful country, we experienced the marvelous Swiss Muesli. I just fell in love with this cold breakfast. Khalid raved about the Muesli served at the Sprungli Cafe at the Zurich airport so we tried that too and even there it was so fresh and AMAZING! So, I came home back to Philly and began researching on how to make Muesli here.

You might be asking, what is Muesli? Let’s delve in some food history, shall we?

Around 1900 Swiss Physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner needed a diet rich in nutrients and fresh fruits for his patients. He developed Muesli – a mixture of oats, dried fruits, nuts, lemon juice and dairy – which is now eaten as a standard breakfast dish in Switzerland. The Swiss love Muesli so much that they sometimes have Birchernmuesli complet – Muesli with Cafe’ complet (milk coffee, accompanied with bread, butter, and jam). Sounds so delicious!

You must be wondering that this Muesli sounds very much like overnight Oatmeal. There are a lot of similarities between the two. Oats by itself are very rich in key nutrients, protein and fiber. But Muesli has a higher protein and nutrients content owing to the added ingredients.

When I came back home, the first thing I did was to check my local Whole Foods store to find ready made Muesli. I found Familia Swiss Muesli there. You can find it on Amazon too. Alternatively you can use any other brand of Muesli available in your store. This is a great healthy breakfast that you can grab fast in the morning. It can also be eaten warm when it’s cold outside. Just warm it in the microwave or on a stove before adding fresh fruit. I hope you make this delicious and easy breakfast and enjoy it’s health benefits.

Swiss Muesli

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Muesli (no sugar added preferred)
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup plain whole yoghurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp chia seeds

Mix all the above together in a big bowl and cover with cling film. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning take the bowl out 10 minutes before serving. Prepare the following:

• 1 unpeeled Apple, chopped fine or grated
• 6-8 strawberries, thinly sliced
• 1 banana, thinly sliced
• 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
• 1 tbsp pistachios, slightly crushed

Add all the above to the Muesli. Mix well & serve with a dollop of whipped cream (optional).

Tip: You can keep Muesli refrigerated in an airtight container for atleast 3 days. Add fresh fruit only when serving to ensure best taste.

Enjoy!

With love,

Leena 💕